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March 21, 2012

Big Hits Propel Mount Olive to Sweep of Baseball

SALISBURY, NC -- Mount Olive’s Jacob Rogers went 6-for-7 on the day including four home runs to lead the Trojans past Catawba 17-12 and 11-1 Wednesday afternoon at Newman Park. The fifth-ranked Indians drop to 23-7 overall while the 25th-ranked Trojans improve to 20-6.

Catawba scored two in the first and four in the second to take a 6-1 lead on homers by Chris Dula (Troutman, NC/S. Iredell HS), Keaton Hawks (Lexington, NC/E. Davidson HS) and Greg Lawson (Charlotte, NC/Providence HS).

Mount Olive quickly countered in the third with eight runs to take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Rogers hit his first dinger of the day two batters after Antonio Callaway hit a grand slam off losing pitcher Ross Whitley (Mooresville, NC/Lake Norman HS) for a 9-6 advantage. Whitley went to 4-2 on the season giving up seven earned runs on six hits.

The Indians tried to mount a comeback in the fifth scoring five runs on three hits. Dula and Hawks singled to get things off to a promising start. Winning pitcher Skyler Sopotnick (2-0) then walked in two runs while reliever Jake Moser walked in the third of the inning.

The Trojan hitting machine tacked on four runs in the fifth and sixth to outdistance themselves from the Indians.

Dula had three hit in the first contest with an RBI.

In the nightcap things went south for Catawba early as starting pitcher Nick Lomascolo (Mooresville, NC/Lake Norman HS) allowed five runs on five hits in the first inning alone. He took the loss and is 5-3 on the season.

With two outs in the first, Lomascolo gave up three straight singles, a walk and then two doubles that supplied the Trojans with all of the runs they would need. Chris Hinton (2-0) went the distance for Mount Olive allowing only one run on six hits and striking out five.

The Indians scored their only tally in the bottom of the first when Garrett Furr (Gold Hill, NC/Mt. Pleasant HS) hit a solo home run to right center. It was his ninth of the year producing his second RBI of the day.

The Trojans added three more in the fourth and two in the seventh to run away with it. Rogers rounded the bases for the fourth time on the day with a two-run, towering shot to right center in the fourth inning.

Dula and Ethan Satterfield (Madison, NC/McMichael HS) each had four hits for the Indians during the two games.

The Indians travel to Lenoir-Rhyne for a South Atlantic Conference series with the Bears starting Mar. 23 at 6 p.m.